Top 8 Stories of 2018

As we prepare to ring in a new year, let’s revisit some of our favorite stories of 2018: stories that let you look closer at our collections, dive into the history of women in space and aviation, and explore our Museum in DC from your own home.

Space Shuttle Discovery on display in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA on April 20, 2012. Discovery was installed on April 19, 2012.

If you’re an observant visitor, you might have noticed that the American flag on the side of the Space Shuttle Discovery on display at our Steven F. Udvar Hazy Center appears to be backwards.

No, it’s not a very large (literally and figuratively) NASA snafu. The "backwards" flag is actually part of the US Flag Code, which applies to spacecraft, aircraft, and even service members’ uniform insignia.

The National Air and Space Museum's flagship building in Washington D.C., as seen from the National Mall. Test

As one of the most visited museums in the United States, it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to walk through the National Air and Space Museum and be the only one around. Now, you can have the Museum all to yourself (from the comfort of your own home!) with these stunning panorama images of our National Mall building.

The Apollo Command and Service Module combination (CSM 105), was originally used for vibration and acoustic tests.

On July 20, 1969, a whole nation tuned in to see astronaut Neil Armstrong take one small step on the surface of the Moon, ushering in a new era of space exploration. But how did Armstrong and the Apollo 11 astronauts get to the Moon in the first place?

The northeastern United States experienced record-breaking cold weather at the beginning of 2018. Those were temperatures so frigid that parts of Mars—a cold, desert planet—were actually warmer than certain spots in the U.S. But how does Mars’ climate compare to that of our home planet?

Since the earliest days of flight, Hispanic men and women have shaped aviation—breaking records, exploring the farthest reaches of our world, and shaping what’s possible in the aerospace field. Learn more about these history-making groundbreakers.